By Madeline Reinsel

Research is a cornerstone of Virginia Commonwealth University, from internationally recognized breakthroughs to undergraduate classroom projects. On Tuesday, P. Srirama Rao, Ph.D., VCU’s vice president for research and innovation, delivered the 2025 State of the Research address, outlining a compelling need for the advancement of VCU’s results-driven research enterprise amid current challenges to federal research funding.

Rao highlighted VCU’s pioneering past and research-driven present, spanning the founding of the School of the Arts in the early 20th century to the modern-day accomplishments of VCU institutions. He highlighted the recent successes of VCU faculty and various research institutes and centers, including Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, the Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health and others.

“I truly consider it to be a privilege and an honor that once a year, I get to present the most impactful work that is taking place in all our schools and colleges across all of our campuses,” Rao said. “VCU’s research is not only rapidly growing, it is strong. And above all, it is impactful.”

His presentation is a signature event of VCU’s Research Weeks programming, a period that spans more than a month and recognizes research across the university. This year, Research Weeks featured more than 50 events, including keynote addresses from experts on subjects ranging from cancer imaging to psychology.

In Tuesday’s remarks, Rao recognized the work of some of VCU’s most notable faculty researchers. The university boasts seven members who have been elected to the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, and nine fellows of the National Academy of Inventors.

He specifically highlighted the work of researchers that reflects the four pillars of the One VCU Research Strategic Priorities Plan – supporting sustainable energy and environments, impacting community and societal needs, enriching the human experience through technology, and optimizing human health.

“You are creating new knowledge and advancing the frontiers of science in each of your fields,” Rao said.

He also recognized this year’s winners of the Outstanding Faculty Mentors award, who have supervised undergraduate and graduate students on research topics ranging from ornithology to public affairs.

Some additional fiscal highlights of Rao’s presentation included how VCU has:

• Achieved 86% growth in sponsored research funding since 2018, including a $144 million increase in sponsored funding on the health sciences campus and a $55 million increase on the Monroe Park Campus.
• Increased funding by 11.3% from fiscal 2023 to 2024.
• Reached over $500 million in sponsored research funding for the first time in fiscal 2025.

Rao also noted that VCU is among the top 50 U.S. public research universities for the third year in a row, according to the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development Survey. Individual researchers and departments also excel in other rankings: VCU has 11 faculty in the global top 50 of their fields, according to the 2024 Stanford Elsevier report, and has 22 schools and departments in the public top 50 for National Science Foundation funding, according to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research rankings.

“We have faculty who represent the top 2% of global researchers in their fields,” Rao said. “It is the contribution of faculty who lead this research, and their teams comprising postdoctoral fellows, staff and students, that are doing much of this impactful work.”

VCU has also had success bringing research and inventions to the marketplace. In fiscal 2024, VCU researchers filed 169 patents and received 13 startup licenses, leading to $3.7 million in licensing revenue.

Rao acknowledged that 2025 has been a challenging year for research across all U.S. colleges and universities, including VCU, that have been impacted by recent executive orders and federal actions. Twenty-one of VCU’s federally funded university grants have been paused or terminated as a result of recent executive orders and federal actions. Federal funding drives 40% of VCU’s sponsored research, which includes important indirect costs to areas such as facilities, infrastructure and operations, that keep the university’s research enterprise running.

More than ever before, Rao said, it is imperative for VCU to keep advancing and broadening its research impact.

“We’re really proud of all of the accomplishments that have been made,” he said. “And this is not the time to slow down, but to continue and double down on what we are doing, including submitting grants.”

It is the university’s ability to take its research into the real world that reinforces the value of VCU’s research enterprise, Rao said.

“The work that we do here matters, because it doesn’t just stay in the classrooms or the laboratories,” he said. “The scientific advances in all fields, including arts, humanities, social sciences, engineering and medicine, go to places where they matter the most – the communities we serve – locally, nationally and globally.”